A Diftour(e of the- F~ar of God. 9 I 5 H"l;, bof], ho/1 is tb; Lord of.H7;jls, the whoie ~,th~isf~JI v[hi;·Gl-;;;-They had a:~ ;~~j;~~~;~, ~~~;v,~~e?e~d;h~0~~,;:;;~::i~:u~~;~,';,-;~~ab~{,~l~? tf,;" ~~~::~f~~~;~-~ Holinefs ; and .vil h twain the] cpver(d rheit feet, as beil)g ljllWOrtlJy to be beheld b)' that Holy God ; and with two -they _did jiJ, Rey·.·15. 4· Who j/Jall not fp.rrhee, 0 hord, "nd glorifj thJ Name, for thou. onrly ~r! ho{y ?_ H~ that doth not fear God's MaJefiy, L told you he atls below his Duty; but he that cloth , OQI fear God's FuuiJy, doth not confider his Sins. Hecaufe we have narrow thoughts of God's Holm. fs, there· fore we fear him fo ljttle. If1our l>J]lderfiandings '~·ere cla•·if.ed fo far, a's to fee the Immaculater.efs of his Purity, wdhould then fear him more. When the/Lord Jefus Chrifi made a fmall Difcovery of his Divinity, io a Miracle, Peter prefently falls down. and cries out, Lord, de;ar;~ from'fne, for I am a ftnful Man. >Purity and· Ma· Luk. s· 8. jefty conjoyned, flrike a Sinoe~ .!Jlto :ConfterQation. ·: ? ,. ,~~ · 'i .f ,; r , ·• lJ l· Thirdly, Another Objetl of our Fear is God'; All feeing Eye, P(al. 16. 8. I bave [et the Lord alovap before me, hq"{;?· _1; hav): feU1tm before Qle ~s my Infpetlor, as my Guide, as my Pattern, and this doth raife and excite-Fear towards God. There is a pure and a piercing Eye that looks upon our moft retired ACtions. There is nothing that is a more powerful Motive to a Man to walk .as a Chft.(fjau than t'liis, a ·cer.tain Pe_rfw~fion t~a~ God~s ,Eye is a{ways--open uponJ1.fm. There""is~o Be~fcin that is any thmg m Re!JgiDn, . tlll the Fean of .God be wntten upon all ius Ati16ns :We read Deut. 23. r4. Godcomrnande~ the lf~eiites, tha-t t¥lere fbould be ho t.!ncfeil»J thini in the Camp, for the Lord ova/ked m the mtdj/ of tlie Can;p. Oli \vbett.you d<lcbut' apprc< hend this, t hat the Eye of God is always upon you, and make this the ObJeCt of yonr Fear, the Influx of it will be powerfol'for 'd1e reg.tilating of ~om Lives. ..SometiJnes in Scripture, the Fear of God is·oppofed to Forgetfulnefs of:him1 > ( · !· 4· Fourthly, The Power of God is alfo an Objeti of our Fear, for this,.ma.kes him :o~5i~d~~I ~~~~~;~}b /:<1; ?v~~~h~. ~:?:i:;:#t~l:hfur~~:e~tfrt:::;~;;~o'~fci:::; to inlarge its Apprehenfi?ns, and ic.s Fea~·s anfwer.able to tl.lC Po.wer of God's Anger. You know that a trembling Confc1ence JS able to fancy to 1t felf the mofi direful Torments; the pouring out of hot Oyl into ·the tenderefi parts- of tllc Body; whatevtt Torments either the Power or the ArtC?f Man can do: But our Apprehcnlions are finite and limited, and when you have ralfed tlu;m to the utmofi Extent, they cannot reach any degree as it were of God's Power. The Power of the Creatufes is a fi. mited Power ; for as they have a limite~ ~enignity, and can do us good but in part, fo likewife they have but a limited Mahgmt'y to do us hurt but in part; as you know there are fame things tha~ can cloth us, but not feed us; fome things ~an heal us, but not defend us from InJuries: Soon the contrary, Fire m1y£burnos, h_mrit~ea]~noc drown us; a Serpent may fting us, bm not tear us. But (lOW the ·Pmver of God's Anger is fuel~, that it cloth eminen~ly contain i.n !t ~ll forts, all degre6s of Torment; As the L•ght of the Sun doth emmently comam 10 1t all the Torc,bb.s ,,and Candles in the World, and therefore who would not fea.r, a§ rhc TrcaJ;U,os _of his Wrath, fo the Power of it. Fe4r him, faith Chrifi, who .is able tp cajl Soli{ 4nd Body imo Hen. And by the way, know the great Reafon why men do [o l]lncbi fear the ?;~~; ~~e~u~fr:/~~s~a~~1;g:n;oee!\~1ea r:~r:;;e g~~t~~.H:~~e~a~e1~~~~k~~·p~·~h:O~ lions of the infinite Power of the Immorta l God. The finful Complxance which abounds fo much in tbe World, proceeds from this, becaufe men feat· th~ Anger of the Creature, but they prefume on the Mercy of God, and fear the JuftiJ:e (as they call it) of Man, but they hope in the Goodnefs of God. 'I 5. Fifthly, The J ufiice ofGod is another Objea of our Fear. This A.tt•ibute etcites his Power, awakens his Wrath, and caufeth themJp fparlde forth againlhSit1ners. Now this is the ground of our Fear, as we are guilty Creatures. 1111 tb~fe Attributes ~\·hich I ha\'C already mentio~'d, produce Fear in us in refpeCt raf tbe contrary Q)!ahties that arc in us, as the MaJefiy of God caufeth our Fear in ·refpetl of our Meannefs, his Purity in refpeClof our Vilene!S, his Power in refpeB: ofour Weaknefs, and fo hisJufiice in refpctl of our Guilt, for we are guilty Creatur~s .. The Love that we exercife upon God, rdpeas him as a Father; but the Fear that we fix upon God is referred to him as a Judge; and if we do but feriouOy take a v'iew of God's Jufiice as it is reprefented in the Word, it is impoffible but that the mo(L prefump' tuous
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